by Tang Xianzu
(Exeunt all)
(Enter Chunyu Fen)
CHUNYU FEN (In the pattern of Collected Tang Poems):
“Abandoned and having nothing to say,
I wander lonely in Wu and Chu.
Separated with my friends by a long way,
I only hear the wind blow in autumn’s view.”
I, Chunyu Fen, have been in a dire strait since I gave up my position and have to relieve myself by drinking. As my friends have left me, I have to drink all by myself. What a tedious life I am leading!
(To the tune of Jinchandao)
My youthful ambition
Was to do meritorious deeds
In full vigour.
Who knows
That the world may alter its needs?
For all the aspirations you have,
Your expectation soon flees.
I’d learn from the hard drinker Liu Ling,
Who achieved nothing all his life,
And I am still addicted to drinking.
I would that I be a bottle cork
And sink upside down in the wine.
Is the poet Qu Yuan the only man awake?
(Enter Partridge, followed by Liu’er and Sha San)
PARTRIDGE:
“Here come three drunkards;
LIU’ER, SHA SAN:
Two of them are libertines.”
PARTRIDGE:
The two gentlemen, Liu’er and Sha San, are at the door.
(Chunyu Fen greets Liu’er and Sha San)
LIU’ER:
“I am Liu’er;
SHA SAN:
I am Sha San.
CHUNYU FEN:
It’s the first time we meet;
LIU’ER, SHA SAN:
Ten is more salty and sour to eat.”
CHUNYU FEN:
What do you mean?
LIU’ER:
An old man said that he paid nine coins to have a bowl of noodles without salt and vinegar; therefore, I added one more coin.
CHUNYU FEN (Smiles):
May I ask whether you two live in town or in the countryside?
LIU’ER, SHA SAN (To the tune of Haojiejie):
In Guangling,
A town in the county,
Liu’er and Sha San are well-known.
We are clever and smart,
Up to the mark in the zone.
To your liking,
We’ll sing a pleasant tune
Or play tricks of our own.
(Liu’er kneels on one knee, kowtows twice and chants “Uncle”)
SHA SAN (Hums a beggar’s tune):
Let’s go to the Home for the Aged.
CHUNYU FEN:
How can we go to a place for the wretched?
SHA SAN:
No, I mean to say Home for the Adults, a whorehouse.
CHUNYU FEN:
I nearly know all the prostitutes in Yangzhou. Where else can I while away some time?
SHA SAN:
Yes, of course. As there will be an Ullambana service in the Xiaogan Temple, the monks and laymen have invited Master Qixuan from the Sweet Dew Temple in Runzhou to give the preaching.
CHUNYU FEN:
What about going to the preaching?
SHA SAN:
Meat and fish is abstained in the temple. I know you are fond of drinking.
CHUNYU FEN (To the previous tune):
The world
Is drunk all over,
But there is a saint among the drunkards.
A vegetarian in front of Buddha’s portrait
Will attain purity in the human world.
Get my horse ready, Partridge.
In a joyful mood,
I’ll follow the Buddhist monk
And find out to what he will allude.
In a deep frustrated mood,
I try to while away my time.
In the temple I shall brood
Amid the autumn preaching chime.
Scene Seven
A Chance Encounter
(Enter an Un-tonsured Monk)
UN-TONSURED MONK (To the tune of Puxiange):
Men pray before Tathagata from morn till night
Before a flesh-like lotus terrace.
Encumbered by evils like wine and woman,
Plus avarice and pride,
By Buddhist disciplines they hardly abide.
I am an un-tonsured monk in the Chanzhi Temple in Yangzhou Prefecture. An untonsured monk is neither a monk nor a layman. As there is an Ullambana service in the Xiaogan Temple, the monks and laymen have invited Master Qixuan from Runzhou to give the preaching. Master Qixuan has made a strict directive that those who want to listen to the preaching will have to enter their names here before they go to the service. A Brahmin from the west by the name of Shi Yan is stopping over at our Indian Yard. Good at the Indian swirl-dancing, he will make a performance whenever people come here to enter their names. Therefore, our temple is bustling with activity. Now that joss-sticks and candles are burning before the statue of Avalokitesvara, I’ll wait and see who will come to enter their names. I’ll stay away for the moment. It is true to say,
“While half of the Buddhist Hymn is left here,
Three ways to perfection are laid elsewhere.”
(Exit)
(Enter Princess Qiongying, Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen)
PRINCESS QIONGYING (To the previous tune):
A tiny creature by nature
Likewise pursues the incense to the temple.
I wear a pair of red embroidered shoes,
A pair of jade phoenix hairpins,
A towel with jade pendants and long sleeves.
Together with Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen, I, Princess Qiongying, have come to enter our names in the Chanzhi Temple and listen to the preaching in the Xiaogan Temple. At the same time, I’ll present Princess Yaofang’s jade hairpins and rhino-horn case in front of the master’s terrace. I’ll see whether Princess Yaofang can find a satisfactory spouse. Here we are at the Indian Yard of the Chanzhi Temple, with a black-bamboo statue of Avalokitesvara beside the lake. There is an attendance-book on the altar. Let’s burn the incense, make a kowtow and sign our names.
(Princess Qiongying, Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen kowtow before the altar)
PRINCESS QIONGYING (To the tune of Huangying’er):
We offer incense
To Avalokitesvara.
As descendents of humble origin,
We venture to visit the temple.
With your blessing,
This life will be better than well.
ALL:
We make a kowtow
To wish for a harmonious marriage
With ants’ heart and soul.
PRINCESS QIONGYING:
Let’s secretly pray for the success of Yaofang’s marriage.
(Princess Qiongying, Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen kowtow before the altar)
PRINCESS QIONGYING (To the previous tune):
To proliferate the State of Peaceful Locust,
The royal princess is to get married
To a spouse after her heart.
We’ll pick and choose,
Wish and hope
That passion of love will melt her heart.
ALL:
We make a kowtow
To wish for a harmonious marriage
With ants’ heart and soul.
SISTER SHANGZHEN:
Let’s saunter beside the lake for a while. Look, a Brahmin is dancing toward us.
(Enter a Brahmin)
BRAHMIN (To the tune of Northern Dianjiangchun):
Born in the west,
I am a Buddhist disciple
Practising in China.
I practise Dhyana
With overpowering faith.
I am Shi Yan, a Brahmin. As an itinerant monk, I stop over at the Indian Yard. Now I shall go dancing to drive away my boredom. Well, where are you three sisters coming from? Will you please watch my Brahmin swirl-dancing?
PRINCESS QIONGYING, LADY LINGZHI, SISTER SHANGZHEN (In smiles):
Yes, please.
(Drumbeats within)
BRAHMIN (Dances):
(To the tune of Duiyuhuan with Qingjiangyin)
I clap my hands in front of the altar
While the embroidered flags wave in the wind.
Soft and flexible,
I bend and twist my waist.
I am dressed in a bright mantle,
Made of pretty satin in the west.
With my mantle flapping,
I pose as the seated Avalokitesvara.
I put my palms together as lotus petals
And smile back in Buddhist grace.
(Bravo within)
BRAHMIN:
As an official is riding towards us, I have to leave.
(Exit)
PRINCESS QIONGYING, LADY LINGZHI, SISTER SHANGZHEN:
Someone is coming. Let’s wash our hands beside the lake.
(Wash their hands)
(Enter Chunyu Fen on horseback, followed by Partridge)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Lülüjin):
Time hangs heavy on my hands,
But I show no pity on myself.
I come to the Chanzhi Temple
To while away my time.
On mossy ground dotted with petals,
Who is dancing an Indian dance?
When I tie my horse and hold my whip,
I see someone over there.
(Comes into the temple)
“The bamboo-lined path leads afar,
Into the meditation room amid flowers.”
The attendance-book is in front of the altar of Avalokitesvara. I shall offer some incense and enter my name here.
(Kowtows with a joss-stick in his hand)
(To the tune of Jiangshui’er)
Your disciple Chunyu,
In deep sorrow,
Will listen to the preaching to relieve his woe.
Let me sign my name here.
(Writes)
I’ll sign my name
To pray for relief from Avalokitesvara.
(Notices Princess Qiongying)
Beside the lake and bamboos,
Who is staying there?
PRINCESS QIONGYING (Turns back in a smile):
Where shall I hang the wet towel, Lady Lingzhi?
CHUNYU FEN (Aside):
What a fairy of a lady, with such tender skin and enchanting smile?
(Turns back to reply)
I’ll hang the towel on the bamboo for you.
(Princess Qiongying hands over the towel with a smile)
CHUNYU FEN (Accepts the towel and hangs it on a bamboo):
What a sweet towel! I would that I become a towel to be held in her sleeves and to dry her sweet sweat!
(Princess Qiongying, Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen smile but make no response)
CHUNYU FEN:
What a beautiful sight of the lake and the flowers!
(Sighs)
Have I met a fairy? She whispers to herself and gives an enticing glimpse, but I cannot approach her for the moment. I’d better go to the Xiaogan Temple to listen to the preaching. Partridge, bring me the horse.
(Gets on horseback)
“The horse neighs its way into falling petals;
I hesitate but have to leave in grief.”
(Exit)
PRINCESS QIONGYING:
This is a young man with a passionate heart. Since he is going to the preaching, let’s go after him and have a closer look at him.
LADY LINGZHI:
Well, I’m not going. I have become such a genuine Buddhist disciple that I have become a Avalokitesvara with monthly flow.
SISTER SHANGZHEN:
What do you mean?
LADY LINGZHI:
My menses have arrived.
PRINCESS QIONGYING:
What a shame! In that case, I’ll go with Sister Shangzhen.
(To the tune of Coda)
To listen to preaching in the temple,
I’ll go with Sister Shangzhen
Now that Lady Lingzhi is gone.
When we reach the lecture hall,
I’ll scrutinize the young man again.
In watching the Indian dancer,
We meet a young man on horseback.
We get the lotus-root for its buds’ sake
While its flowers diffuse fragrance on the lake.
Scene Eight
Passion of Love
(Enter the First-Rank Monk, holding a fishing-rod in his hand)
FIRST-RANK MONK:
“Buddha has passed down a lamp,
Which remains alight all the time.
The lamp illuminates from year to year
While everywhere shine Buddhist wits sublime.”
I am the first-rank disciple of Master Qixuan of the Sweet Dew Temple in Runzhou. A practitioner of Pravrajana since early childhood, I have served my master for years. I always mend my worn mantle in the morning and recite the Buddhist canons in the evening. As my master is invited by the Xiaogan Temple in Yangzhou to expound the sutra, I have led all the monks to prepare the incense, lamps, flowers and fruits and to clean the meditation bed and table so that my master may ascend the rostrum. Play the ritual instruments, all the monks!
(Drums and music within)
(Enter Master Qixuan with a sceptre and a whisk)
MASTER QIXUAN (Ascends the rostrum):
“I ascend the rostrum to preach Buddhist laws
And cite examples of man and beast.
All the stars centre around the north star
While all the waters flow toward the east.”
(Holds up the sceptre)
“Like an old liana on Mount Sumeru,
I follow the flying sceptre in the sky.
When the sceptre blazes a way to Heaven,
All the antagonists stop their battle cry.”
(Waves the whisk)
“When gentle breeze scatters the cloud,
Immense dusts have no room to hide.
The warrior has nothing to wield
When I wave the whisk before the crowd.”
(Offers the incense)
Look at the incense!
“What you cannot get from Bodhisattvas,
You can hardly beg from the king.
The empty sky is so vast
That the earth cannot hold a thing.”
I hold the incense toward the sky so that it will penetrate the Dharmadhatu and fume the continents; I’ll burn the incense in the incense-burner to wish the Emperor and the crown prince a long, long life.
(Angles with the fishing-rod)
“With a fishing-rod to angle the moon,
A man sails to the mouth of the Milky Way.
The boat floats forever day by day,
But neither fish nor dragon touches the hook.”
FIRST-RANK MONK:
Why is a phantom the reality?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“The rising sun seems to be spit out in the east;
The morning green seems to float to the south hill.”
FIRST-RANK MONK:
Why is the reality a phantom?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“You can neither see how the drizzle wets the dress
Nor hear how the petals fall onto the ground.”
FIRST-RANK MONK:
Why is non-reality a non-phantom?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“Unconsciously, you face the moon in your return
And see the cloud in your dream.”
FIRST-RANK MONK:
Thank you very much, Master. I shall withdraw today and ask for your advice tomorrow.
(Exit)
MASTER QIXUAN:
If any of you monks or laymen has any uncertainties in your meditation or any doubts in your contemplation, I am ready to expound a few questions from you today. Any questions?
(Enter an elderly monk)
ELDERLY MONK:
Yes, I have some questions. May I ask what is the Buddha or the Enlightened One?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“It’s like the moon above worldly peaks
Or like the daily breeze in the Milky Way.”
ELDERLY MONK:
Then, what is the Dharma or the True Teaching?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“It’s like poem books under a straw rain-cape
Or like wine-containers in a bamboo house.”
ELDERLY MONK:
Then, what is the Sangha or the Buddhist Brotherhood?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“It’s like a man with grey hair that sits in the world
Or like a lonely lamp that accompanies old friends.”
ELDERLY MONK:
Thank you very much, Master. I shall withdraw today and ask for your advice tomorrow.
(Exit)
MASTER QIXUAN (Angles with the fishing-rod):
“I often hold the fishing-rod in my hand,
Which in the dusk stirs the fish breeds.
I can hardly keep the moon in the sky,
For I wake up to find myself in the reeds.”
If any of you monks or laymen has any unawareness in your meditation, I am ready to answer some more questions from you today. Any questions?
(Enter Chunyu Fen)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Yejinmen, Part One):
I live a leisurely life,
Accompanied by wine and flower.
I sit near the incense-burner beside the rostrum,
To feel the sermon in its full power.
I, Chunyu Fen, have come here to listen to the preaching. As I have nothing to do and feel vexed all day long, for what advice can I ask the master? I shall inquire the master about the hetu-pratyaya or cause and effect.
(Greets Master Qixuan)
I, Chunyu Fen, bow to you and ask you for advice. What are the six principal moral afflictions?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“They’re like bare locust-trees in the empty palace
Or like ethereal music played beside a luxuriant lake.”
CHUNYU FEN:
Then, what are the twenty subsidiary moral afflictions?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“They’re like two wings stretching ten thousand miles,
But halting to find a dwelling in the forest.”
CHUNYU FEN:
Then, how can I break away from these moral afflictions?
MASTER QIXUAN:
“When the dream has vanished,
The homeward road is barely visible.”
(Chunyu Fen meditates)
MASTER QIXUAN:
With my insight into the past and the future, I can perceive that this young man looks foolish but may become a bodhisattva in no time.
(Enter Princess Qiongying with Sister Shangzhen)
PRINCESS QIONGYING (To the tune of Yejinmen, Part Two):
I amble to the temple,
In the slow pace of an ant.